Suspense

One of the major themes of the novel is suspense, which is to be expected in a who-done-it mystery novel. The suspense grabs the reader right at the beginning during the Gaudy, when Harriet finds the drawing on the Quad. When she leaves, she finds the note in the sleeve of her gown written in letters cut from newspapers and pasted to a sheet of paper. The poison pen letter accuses her of being a dirty murderess and asks how she has the nerve to show her face.

After Harriet leaves, the poison pen letters and pranks continue and Harriet is asked if she will handle the investigation for the College since they do not want any adverse publicity. The pranks and poison pen letters continue. One night, someone pulls the main fuses in each of the buildings, plunging them into darkness. They find a light on in...